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Step taken for new plant
1004Ronald Tolley
Ron Tolley - photo by Courier file photo

Liberty County Development Authority board members met early Tuesday to review a memorandum of understanding that would bring them a step closer to welcoming a sizeable, though still unnamed, employer to the area.
Vice chairman John McIver moved to approve the memorandum for “Project Thunder Liberty County” in its draft form, on the condition that final changes would be brought back to the authority for approval.
After much discussion about the types of changes that would be included in the approval process, McIver, who is also chairman of the county commission, “clarified his motion and stated that it was to approve the execution of the MOU by the chairman as presented at the meeting, but that the chairman should bring the MOU back to the full board for more consideration by the full board in the event any changes were requested by the company,” said Authority CEO Ron Tolley. That motion passed unanimously.
Project Thunder is a proposed three-building manufacturing facility that would take up more than 200,000 square feet off Sunbury Road in Tradeport East Business Park east of Midway. It would employ roughly 200 employees at the outset.

Tolley said the company’s identity won’t be revealed until early next year at the request of the prospective employer, which cites concerns of industry competition as the reason for its secrecy.
The board’s next meeting to review the final draft of the memorandum was originally set for Thursday, but was postponed, and no new date had been set.
As a final item on Tuesday’s agenda, members were asked to consider a request to extend sewer and water services to the property on which the Old Dorchester School sits. There are existing lines near the property, and the site is in the authority’s service area. The board will revisit and likely decide on the request at its next meeting.

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